The Money. The Players. The business of professional sports, from high school to college to the pros.

September 2007

September 28, 2007

Interview lasted only seven minutes and 16 seconds, but Gilbert doesn't need to much to heat up. He is, after all, The Hibachi. I am partial to Deadspin and Gilbert Arenas (an LA guy). Glad Will and Gil had a chance to finally meet up (thanks to the fine folks and sister-in-law at EA Sports). A must read, especially if you love any of the following: Will Leitch, Gilbert, trash talking, name calling and porn (actually jokes about porn). While Gilbert is not the most conventional human being, in my opinion, he is a great example of how to effectively work with the public and the media.

On a seemingly unrelated note: Here's a link to NY Times article that includes a photo of LeBron and Sonny and a third, unidentified person meeting at the 2003 All-Star Game. Hey, I know him. It's Brian Movalson, an EA sports marketing guy, in his Jerry Maguire moment. In better times, Movy wasn't treated like such a nobody in the NY Times. (On three...EA Sports...It's in the game.)

Jones and four others were charged with mortgage fraud in federal court in Texas. According to the indictment, the defendants - including a property developer, an appraiser and two bank officers - conspired to obtain home loans based on inflated values on behalf of unqualified buyers, then diverted some of the loan proceeds to themselves.

Between 1999 and 2001, the defendants allegedly acquired more than $42 million in loans. The indictment charges each defendant with 12 counts of bank fraud. Each count carries a possible prison sentence of up to 30 years imprisonment and a possible fine of up to $1 million. Jury selection is set for May 12.

According to Pender's article, the SEC charges that Jones "refused to produce or allow the inspection of his advisory business records."

The SEC claims Jones "ultimately claimed that all his records had either been destroyed in a fire or inadvertently sold by a storage company." Given Jones' run of "bad luck" with the law, let's hope it's the latter; the former might bring an arson charge.

Ended up redesigning cover. Also changed subtitle to more properly reflect intended audience: "A Guide to Success in Sports, Business & Life for Current and Future Pro Athletes." Let me know what you think: marc.isenberg@gmail.com

September 23, 2007

Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy and self-described "40-year
old MAN" used his bully pulpit to respond to what he thought was an
inappropriate attack on OSU quarterback Bobby Reid written by a female
writer in the The Oklahoman.
Gundy, apparently skilled at identifying unprofessional
behavior in others, might have had made a stronger case had he not channeled Bobby Knight.

Gundy did pose an interesting
question: Should the media refrain from criticizing amateur athletes?

Maybe the media should
understand
these are young, impressionable men, not quite ready for prime time. As
Gundy reminds us, these are "amateur athletes" not "professionals."
College sports is not life and death, although if there's an athletic department that has showed us the opposite, it's OSU. If Gundy had his way the media would treat college athletes age appropriately. Nice sentiment. But let's not forget that we have built a billion-dollar business on the backs of these amateurs. Is that age appropriate?

College sports is a competitive, sometimes ruthless, perhaps even
vicious business. My guess is that every college quarterback knows the
bargain: when things go well, they get the glory, and if they play poorly, they get criticized. Severely.

As the popularity of college sports increases so does the ink. Some of the coverage is welcomed; some of it crosses the line. It's unfortunate, but most famous athletes and coaches understand the bargain.

Connie Mack, who managed the old Philadelphia A’s for 50 years, understood the
role of the media. He said, “When I entered the game, [sports] received
only a few lines as news. These few lines extended into columns and
pages. In ratio the crowds in our ball parks grew and grew and grew.
News, like advertising, is a powerful momentum behind any enterprise.
The professional sporting world was created and is being kept alive by
the services extended by the press.”

Gundy should stick up for his players, but that doesn't mean he should publicly berate someone in the media who writes something critical. Gundy might benefit from some media training. Lesson 1: Don't argue with anyone who works for a company that buys ink by the barrel (great advice offered by Walter O'Malley).

Sonny Vaccaro may be a controversial figure to some, but I've always appreciated the open discourse he fosters. Over ten years ago, I sat down with Sonny for one of the most lively discussions I ever had about basketball, politics and the NCAA and we've been friends ever since.

Some believe Sonny helped create many of the problems we see today in the basketball biz. Shoe companies and also television networks have a simple mission: Generate more and more revenue. If athletic departments have a problem with these corporate activities, then they certainly could just say no. No, we're not going to play games starting at 9pm on school nights. No, we're not going to use our student athletes as shills. Sounds good in theory, but every time an athletic director signs another multimillion dollar coaching contract or agrees to take on more debt to finance construction of new state-of-the-art facilities, the less likely he or she is to walk away from lucrative revenue opportunities. To slightly alter a favorite line from Seinfeld: Not that there's anything wrong with coaches making millions of dollars in college sports and tricked-out practice facilities.

"I truly respect Marc Isenberg for his thoughtful approach to the problems facing big-time sports. He is as honest and tenacious as they come. Marc doesn't just complain about a corrupt system; he offers thoughtful solutions. If you are a college or professional athlete, or if you care about athletes, you have to read Money Players."—Sonny Vaccaro

Sports Business Journal did a terrific “In-Depth” examination on athlete behavior. The whole thing is worth reading, but the interview with former Jets and Patriots RB and the NFL’s fourth all-time leading rusher, Curtis Martin, stands out. Unfortunately you have to have to subscribe to the Journal or its sister publication, Sports Business Daily, to read the entire interview. Below are a couple of Martin's answers:On being a role modelI take being a role model very seriously. I take it just as seriously as I take my performance on the field. So in the same way that I prepare for a game, I prepare my life—the way I do things, the way I think—in a manner that is worthy of being a role model. I realize the position I’m in and the influence I have, not only on my teammates, but on guys around the NFL who might look up to me in sort of a big brother way. So being the proper example for kids and fans and colleagues and friends and family is tremendously important.

On the pressure put on pro athletes by familiesThe type of pressure that friends and family can put on you is unbelievable. One thing that I always try to preach to some of the younger athletes is to get good at saying no. Most of us feel so obligated because we are the only one, probably in our entire generation of our family tree, who has had this kind of success. The whole tree comes after you. When to say no and when to say yes, on top of trying to have a successful career, is overwhelming many times...One of the most difficult parts of being a professional athlete is dealing with that whole tree coming after you, and dealing with the pressure of taking care of not only your own family, but every family that’s even close to you. If you don’t have anyone to help you sift through that process, it’s extremely hard…I think the general public equates wisdom with money, and there’s nothing further from the truth. People wonder, with all the money you make, how could you do something that stupid? I think that more money opens you up to doing something that stupid.

September 13, 2007

We can all breath a sigh of relief that Buffalo Bills player Kevin Everett is out of imminent medical danger and he may even walk again. We all hope Everett can recover to lead a somewhat normal life. What happened to him is everyone's worst fear: that someone doing what they love suffers a career-ending (or in this case, a life-threatening) injury.

Society may love the finished product of sausages and football, but
most would prefer not to know how these great American staples are made.

Injuries are an inherent part of pushing the limits of human performance, as professional athletes do every day. What happened to Everett last Sunday is everybody's worst fear. Football players may not fully grasp the true risks of playing (perhaps it's better they do not), but it is something that everyone needs to look at.

In capitalism, we compensate for risk. The saying goes: “No risk, no reward.” Think of the converse: In exchange for great risk, athletes deserve to be highly compensated. While many have questioned the NFL for not doing enough to help its retired players, NFL players are compensated for playing a violate sport. (They also receive medical coverage for 5 years after they retire.) Certainly more can and should be done to assist retired players, but at least this issue is being addressed.

At the same time, we should not forget where our NFL beasts come from. They are bred in the high-tech, win-at-whatever-price-boosters-are-willing-to-pay world of college football. In terms of concussive impact, college football is no longer a quantum leap from the NFL. It was once rare to have a 300-pound offensive lineman in the NFL; now I doubt there are many sub-300 pounders playing for a BCS conference school. Lawrence Taylor broke the mold for linebackers when he entered the NFL in 1981; today he is the mold--6'4 and 240 pounds of sheer terror.

A couple weeks ago Tim Layden wrote about the "The Big Hit" in Sports Illustrated. The article's subtitle succinctly frames the issue: "Players live for it, fans love it, media celebrate it -- and all bemoan its devastating consequences. The brutal collision of bodies is football's lifeblood, and the NFL's biggest concern." Layden follows up with another article this week, "The hits keep coming." Both articles are worth reading.